Film editing machine



NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME RALPH J. IVES FILM EDITING MACHINE Filed oct. 2a, 1955 s Sheets-Sheetl y 12,1959 RALPH -J. AVSEEV I ,6

EAL/ 14.1 Avszzv, 5 Joule/AL CHANGE a: MAME To RALPH n/ss Maw RALPH \J. AVSEEV 2,886,648 NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME RALPH J. was v FIILM EDITING MACHINE May 12, 1959 Filed Oct. 28, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 llVl/E/V 7-02 ZALPH J AVsEIV, Jua/c/AL cx/AA/GE 0F NAME f0 ZALPH J, IYE5 12, 1959 RALPH J. AVSEEV 2,886,648

NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME RALPH J. IVES FILM EDITING MACHINE Filed Oct; 28, 1955 3 Sheets- Sheet 3 EALPH J AVSEEV, 5y

v JODIG/AL CHANGE "OF A/AME. 70 244.9 J. /VE5 prraex/e x/s' 2,886,648 FILM EDITING MACHINE Ralph J. Avseev, Santa Monica, Calif., now by judicial change of name to Ralph J. Ives Application October 28, 1955, Serial No. 543,403 7 Claims. (Cl. 179100.1)

This invention relates to a film editing machine, and particularly to a machine for editing film on which a sound track has been recorded.

It has been primarily designed for use in editing film wherein the sound track is recorded magnetically, and

wherein play-back is obtained by causing the sound, track to traverse a pickup.

Explanatory of the present invention, when a sound technician is faced with the task of shortening or lengthening a sound track he playsback the track for the purpose of locating possible cutting and splicing points.

- gether. This is for the purpose of'determining whether the loudness level at the two ends of the sound track that 'are to be joined are the same or one is higher or lower than the other; the time span from one impact of modulation to the next, and whether it is appropriate; in the case of music, whetherthe key is the same or may be appropriately joined and whether the linear relationship is appropriate; also whether there is a change in tempo and whether such. change in tempo if present is appropriate. If the technician plays back the outgoing portion of the sound track to the point of proposed cut and then is required to play back an intervening portion of the sound track between the end of the outgoing portion and the commencement of the proposed incoming portion the hearing of the intervening or unwanted portion of the sound track-has a tendency to blur or dim his memory of what the outgoing portion, up to the proposed cut, sounds like and whether it can be properly joined to the proposed incoming portion.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine which will enable the technician or film editor to play back the sound track of the outgoing portion up to'the proposed point of cut and then discontinue the play-back of the intervening portion until the proposed incoming portion has been reached. In this manner, as the technician is not required to listen to the sound track of the intervening portion, it is easier for him to remember how the outgoing portion sounded and whether the proposed incoming portion can be appropriately spliced or connected thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a film editing machine wherein that portion of the film which is caused to traverse the pickup is exposed for ease in marking proposed cut and is such that it may be moved back and forth across the pickup to accurately locate the points of proposed cut.

Another object of the invention is to provide a film editing machine wherein the film is frictionally driven or drawn across the pickup by power-actuated means so United States Patent O designed that the power source which drives or draws the film has an opportunity to come up to full speed before the 'film is moved thereby so that movements of the film occur only at full speed. Conversely, the arrangement is such that the film may be easily and quickly disengaged and allowed to instantly stop so that proposed cutting points can be quickly and accurately located.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine susceptible of being used on a bench in conjunction with other film-editing equipment and which will not require a transfer of the film from the bench to special pieces of equipment in order to edit the sound tracks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine susceptible of editing film having a plurality of sound tracks as exist in multiple channel recording, and

which is also capable of editing sound tracks which are recorded on split film or on film of less than conventional width.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which 'willbe made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the film-editing machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the same, a section of film having a sound track being shown in applied position thereon;

Fig. 3, is an end view in elevation and may be regarded as taken upon the line 33 upon Fig. 2 in the direction indicated;

Fig. 4 is a partial view in vertical section taken substantially upon the line 4-4 upon Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a partial view in vertical section taken substantially upon the-line 5-5 upon Fig. 2, the thumb plate being shown in its uppermost or normal position;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating the thumb plate in its depressed position;

Fig. 7 is a partial view in vertical section taken substantially upon the line 77 upon Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the improved machine consists of a suitable base 10 on which there is mounted a housing 11 for an electric motor 12, see Fig. 3. The rotor of the motor 12 has, a. roll 13 mounted thereon over which the film F carrying the sound track is, trained. On the housing 11 there is pivotally mounted at 14 an angularly shaped lever 15 which carries a roller 16 that can be swung into engagement with the top surface of the film F and press the film into firm frictional engagement with the roller 13. This occurs when the lever 15 is in the position shown in full lines on Fig. 2. However, when the lever is. swung into the dotted line position the roller 16 disengages the top of the film so that the film is no longer pulled or drawn by the power-driven roller 13.

On the forward side of the housing 11 there is also pivotally mounted at 17 a latching lever 1a, the end of which is releasably engageable with the lever 15 to hold the lever 15 in its full line position as depicted in Fig. 2. This lever 18 is urged into latching engagement with the lever 15 by a spring 19. On depressing the handle 20 of the latching lever the latching lever may be shifted from its full line to its dotted line position as shown inFig. 2, allowing the lever 15 to swing into its dotted line position.

The lever 15 carries afinger 21 engageable with a button '22. that is urged upwardly through the base 10 by a compression spring 23. This button, in turn, is engageable with the button 24 of an electric switch which is in circuit with the electric motor 12. The arrangement 3 is such that in swinging the lever 15 from its dotted line position as shown in Fig. 2 into its full line position, the switch will be closed and the motor 12 started before the roll 16 is brought to its final position pressing the film F against the power-driven roller 13, thus affording a small time interval for the motor to be brought up to full speed so that at the time the film is frictionally engaged with the roller it will instantly be caused to travel at full speed.

On the base there is also mounted a pickup, and in the present instance I have illustrated three pickups 25, 26, and 27. A single pickup may be used where there is but a single sound track on the film. However, J

in multiple-channel recording, there may be two, three, or more sound tracks on the same film. If the film has more than three sound tracks additional pickups to the pickups 25, 26 and 27 are employed. These pickups are arranged in the path of the film so that the sound tracks on the film are caused to traverse them when the film is being driven or drawn by the power-driven roller 13. On opposite sides of the pickups there are guide rollers 28 and 29 which are rotatably mounted on the base and serve to guide the film in the course of its travel across the pickups.

In front of the guide rollers 28 and 29 there is a thumb plate 30 which carries arms 31 and 32 that press the film F against the under sides of the guide rollers. These arms are pivotally mounted on the base 10 as indicated at 33 and are urged into their uppermost'positions by means of one or more adjustable tension springs 34. They consequently serve to support the thumb plate in an elevated position above the base. Beneath the thumb plate there is an electric switch 35 that can be actuated by an adjustable stud 36 secured to the thumb plate. This switch is electrically connected to the pickups which, in turn, are electrically connected to an amplifier 37 having a speaker 38. A selector switch 39 operable by a knob 40 is also in circuit and enables the amplifier 37 to be electrically connected to each of the three pickups 25, 26, and 27. The amplifier is equipped with a volume control operable by the knob 40a.

The operation of the above-described construction is substantially as follows:

The machine may be installed upon a bench on which other film editing equipment may also be mounted. The film is trained through the machine as illustrated on Fig. 2. The sound technician in undertaking to edit the film depresses the handle of lever 15 causing the motor 12 to be started. Immediately thereafter the roller 16 frictionally presses the film against the power-driven roller 13 so that the film is drawn between the guide rollers 28 and 29 and their respective arms 31 and 32 and across the pickups. The sound recordings on the sound track or tracks as the case may be, is reproduced through the speaker 38. In approaching a cutoff only the handle 20 is depressed which releases the lever 15 and allows the compression spring 23 to swing the lever 15 into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 which stops movement of the film F. In order to accurately locate a proposed cutofi only, the film may be manually moved back and forth across the pickups to determine the exact point at which the film should be cut. This may be accomplished by merely gathering a loop of excess film adjacent the pickup and sliding the film back and forth across the pickups. When this point is located the film may be marked. Operation of the machine is then resumed until another location on the film is decided upon, that is to be spliced to the mentioned cutoff point and the beginning of this oncoming portion is also marked. Both of the markings so made are merely proposed cuts at the ends of an intervening portion.

In order to test the suitability of connecting the outgoing portion to the oncoming portion the film is re-run I the efiect of opening the switch 35 and thus rendering the amplifier 37 and speaker 38 inoperative. Consequently, while the intervening portion is traversing the pickup no sound is being reproduced. When the second mark passes the pickup the thumb plate is released, thus allowing the switch 35 to close and the amplifier and speaker are again rendered operative. In this manner, the technician is not required to listen to and attempt to ignore the sounds recorded on the intervening portion of the film. Consequently, his memory of how the outgoing portion sounded is not disturbed or distorted and he is able to determine with a great degree of accuracy how the sounds on the oncoming portion will fit therewith. If the proposed marks are decided upon, the film may be slipped laterally from beneath the guide rolls 28 and 29 due to the fact that the arms 31 and 32 are depressed from engagement therewith and assume the position shown in Fig. 6. With the film thus laterally moved it may be conveniently cut and spliced.

It frequently occurs that there are a plurality of points on the film that are selected for possible connection with the outgoing portion of the film. These points may be appropriately marked and held as loops in the film and can be consecutively applied to the machine over the pickup and beneath the rolls 28 and 29. After the outgoing portion has been played to the proposed cutoff point and the thumb plate 20 thereafter depressed, each proposed point of commencement of an oncoming portion can thus be compared with the outgoing portion and its suitability for connection thereto can be determined without having any intervening portion of the film played that will disturb the memory or recollection of the outgoing portion.

Some sound tracks are recorded on split film or film of approximately one-half the conventional width. The improved machine is susceptible of being used in conjunction therewith and to this end arms 41 and 42 are pivotally mounted on the base and when swung for wardly into the dotted line position shown on Fig. 3,

they serve to hold the split or narrow film against the flanges on the forward ends of the guide rollers 28 and 29. The operation of the machine is substanitally the same as above described regardless of whether split or narrow film is used on the machine or film of conventional width.

From the above-described construction it will be appreciated that the improved machine is highly advantageous in that it permits the film to be instantly stopped, and when started, to be started at full speed. Furthermore, it is relatively easy to determine the exact points at which proposed cuts are to be made and to accurately mark the film at the proposed cuts due to the exposure of the film over the pickup and between the guide rollers 28 and 29. In playing back the film to determine whether the proposed cutting points are to be adopted it is possible to discontinue all reproduction of sound of the intervening portion of the film so that the memory of the outgoing portion of the film is not disturbed or distorted and can be properly matched with the proposed incoming portion.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for editing film on which sound has been recorded comprising a pickup, means for moving the film across the pickup, means for urging the film against the pickup as it is moved thereacross, an amplifier and speaker circuit connected to the pickup, and means adjacent the pickup for releasing the urge of the film against the pickup and opening the amplifier and speaker circuit whereby when the amplifier and speaker circuit is opened the film will be simultaneously released and when the amplifier and speaker circuit is closed, the film will be urged against the pickup.

2. A machine for editing film on which sound has been recorded comprising a pickup, guide means on opposite sides of the pickup for guiding film across the pickup, means for moving the film across the pickup, an amplifier and speaker in circuit with the pickup, switch means adjacent the pickup controlling the circuit for the amplifier and speaker, and pressing means associated with the switch means for unging the film against the guide means when the amplifier and speaker circuit is closed but serving to release the film from the guide means when the amplifier and speaker circuit is opened.

3. A machine for editing film on which sound has been recorded magnetically comprising a magnetic pickup, rolls on opposite sides of the pickup for guiding film across the pickup, means for moving the film across the pickup, a thumb plate adjacent the pickup and said rolls, pressing means on the thumb plate for pressing the film against the rolls, a switch operable by the thumb plate, an amplifier and speaker, said switch being in circuit with the amplifier and pickup and being so arranged that when the thumb plate is depressed the switch will render the amplifier and speaker inoperative and the pressing means will be caused to release the film.

4. In a machine for editing film on which sound has been recorded, an electrically operated power-driven roli, a lever pivotally mounted adjacent the power-driven roll and carrying a roll adapted to frictionally press the film against the power-driven roll, a switch controlling the circuit for the drive for the power-driven roll, said switch being operable by the lever and being so arranged that the power-driven roll will be caused to rotate in advance of the roll on the lever pressing the film in firm engagement with the power-driven roll.

5. In a machine for editing film on which sound has been recorder, an electrically operated power-driven roll,

a lever piovtally mounted adjacent the power-driven roll and carrying a roll adapted to frictionally press the film against the power-driven roll, a switch controlling the circuit for the drive for the power-driven roll, said switch being operable by the lever and being so arranged that the power driven roll will be caused to rotate in advance of the roll on the lever pressing the film in firm engagement with the power-driven roll, and means for releasably latching the lever in that position wherein its roll presses the film against the power-driven roll.

6. In a machine for editing film on which sound has been recorded, a stationary pickup, rolls on opposite sides of the pickup, an amplifier and speaker in circuit with the pickup, a thumb plate adjacent the pickup, pressing arms mounted on the thumb plate for pressing film against the rolls, said thumb plate being depressable, and a switch operable by the depressing of the thumb plate for rendering the amplifier and speaker inoperative.

7. In a machine for editing film on which sound has been recorded, a stationary pickup, rolls on opposite sides of the pickup, an amplifier and speaker in circuit with the pickup, a thumb plate adjacent the pickup, pressing arms mounted on the thumb plate for pressing film against the rolls, said thumb plate being depressable, a switch operable by the depressing of the thumb plate for rendering the amplifier and speaker inoperative, and arms pivotally mounted adjacent said rolls adapted to assume positions for crowding narrow film against one end of each of the rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,528,699 Masterson Nov. 7, 1950 2,708,224 Rittenhouse May 10, 1955 2,813,453 Browder Nov. 19, 1957 

